Super Mario Sunshine
|system1JP = July 19, 2002 |system1EU = |system1AU = October 4, 2002 |system1KO = 2002 |class1 = Player's Choice |sales = 5.91 million |genre = Platformer, action-adventure |ESRB = E |PEGI = 3 |USK = 0 |ACB = G |rating = Yes |Fix = a }} Super Mario Sunshine (abbreviated as SMS and also called Mario Sunshine) is a Mario action-adventure 3D platformer released for the Nintendo GameCube. It follows Super Mario 64, and is the second 3D Mario platformer. This game introduced many recurring characters and bosses in the Mario series, including Toadsworth, Bowser Jr., Petey Piranha, Gooper Blooper, Piantas, Nokis, Shadow Mario, and F.L.U.D.D. Super Mario Sunshine is the second game in the Mario series to feature extensive voice acting, the first being Hotel Mario, making it the first, and thus far, the only 3D Mario game with said extensive voice acting. It also pays homage to Mario's Italian heritage and upbringing, with many of the locations in the game (including the island itself) having Italian names and sometimes referencing Italian culture. Super Mario Odyssey returns with a nonlinear open-world not seen since Super Mario Sunshine. Plot The game starts off in the Toad Express, where Mario, Princess Peach, a few Toads, and Toadsworth are flying out to Isle Delfino for a vacation. While watching a video advertisement showing its numerous attractions, Peach notices a Mario-shaped shadow figure jumping around in the background. Mario and Toadsworth do not notice this, as they dream about the food and having a good time. They make a rough landing on Delfino Airstrip, as a large amount of strange, moving goop in the shape of Mario's head is blocking the runway and has formed a pit. Mario goes on a brief search for something to assist him and soon finds a unique water pump invented by Professor E. Gadd named F.L.U.D.D., the Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device. The machine scans Mario and identifies him as its customer. After user instruction, Mario uses F.L.U.D.D. to clean the goop and defeat a Gatekeeper after which the runway returns to its normal condition, and a Shine Sprite appears, which Mario collects. After collecting the Shine Sprite, however, a pair of Pianta Police officers arrest Mario. In court, the prosecution reveals that the island is covered with similar goop, and the graffiti has forced all the Shine Sprites to flee. Eyewitness accounts indicate that Mario is the guilty party, and despite Princess Peach's attempted objection, Mario is found guilty and is ordered not to leave until the entire island is cleaned. After defeating another Gatekeeper, the Grand Pianta Statue comes out of the ground with the mysterious character resembling Mario on top. This Shadow Mario attempts to kidnap Princess Peach, but Mario foils his plan and he escapes into the Rainbow M he paints on the base of the statue. This allows Mario to access Bianco Hills and recover more Shine Sprites. Later, similar incidents of various landmarks disappearing in goop happen around Delfino Plaza, and cleaning the goop reveals that these places also have portals to different areas of Isle Delfino. Once Mario recovers ten Shine Sprites, Shadow Mario kidnaps Princess Peach again and flees to Pinna Park. Mario chases Shadow Mario there and takes down his weapon, Mecha-Bowser. Shadow Mario comes out of Mecha-Bowser's head and reveals himself to be Bowser Jr., Bowser's son. He says that Bowser told him Peach is his mother who got kidnapped by a bad guy named Mario. He also reveals the graffiti to be the work of his magic brush, which he claims was given to him by "a strange old man in a white coat". Bowser Jr. then takes Peach to Corona Mountain by flying in Mecha-Bowser's head. Unable to rescue Princess Peach, Mario returns to cleaning up and recovering Shine Sprites. He also finds Yoshi and new Nozzles for F.L.U.D.D. to use, and unlocks more areas of Isle Delfino to explore. In Episode 7 of these areas, Mario must chase down Shadow Mario to obtain a Shine Sprite from him. When these episodes are cleared, Delfino Plaza is suddenly flooded after a surge of water came gushing out of the cave behind the Shine Gate. This flood also wound up destroying the barrier obstructing the cave entrance, allowing Mario access into Corona Mountain. Working his way to the top of the volcano, Mario finds Bowser and Bowser Jr. relaxing in a huge hot tub of sludge with Peach with them. Mario then battles Bowser and Bowser Jr. by using Rocket Nozzle and then Ground Pounding from high up onto the five platforms protruding from the tub while avoiding Bowser and Bowser Jr.'s attacks. The force of the Ground Pound on the last platform flips the tub end-over-end and everyone plummets down out of Corona Mountain, while a large Shine Sprite hidden in the pool flies out. Bowser, Bowser Jr., Mario, and Peach fall from the sky, Mario landed head-first onto an island just west of Delfino Plaza, while Peach is floating down with her umbrella and lands softly on the same island Mario has landed on. However, their reunion is cut short when they see F.L.U.D.D. malfunctioning. After looking at Mario giving its last words, F.L.U.D.D shuts down. The Shine Sprite from the hot tub returns to the Shine Gate as the residents of Isle Delfino apologize to Mario for falsely accusing him. Far away from the island, Bowser and Bowser Jr. (who landed on a raft) watch the celebration from the raft. Bowser Jr. says he knew all along that Peach wasn't really his mother, but wants to fight Mario again. Bowser praises his son and says that they rest a while. Later on, as Mario and Peach enjoy a sunset at Sirena Beach, they notice the Toads carrying F.L.U.D.D., which is okay and states, "The vacation starts now!" Pictures of their vacation are shown during the credits, showing Mario and his friends enjoying the island and its wonders. After the credits, a picture of Il Piantissimo discovering the Magic Paintbrush in the sands of Gelato Beach is shown, along with "The End" displayed in the lower right hand corner. However, defeating Bowser after collecting all 120 of the Shine Sprites replaces this picture with a group picture of friendly characters in the game posing in Hotel Delfino, with the the phrase "Have a relaxing vacation!" on the bottom. Gameplay Super Mario Sunshine is a 3D platformer where players control the environment around them in a similar manner to its predecessor, Super Mario 64. As with all 3D platformers, players can adjust the camera to their liking. Due to closer objects obstructing features on the level, when certain characters and items are obscured by minor objects such as walls or trees, their silhouettes are marked by a big '?'. This does not apply to Mario and his F.L.U.D.D., to differentiate him from the features. Super Mario Sunshine is the first game where Mario extensively uses an accessory to complete his mission. F.L.U.D.D. (Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device) features spray and hovering capabilities when it is first acquired; other nozzles can be unlocked to extend F.L.U.D.D.'s functionality, such as the "Rocket Nozzle" which propels Mario high into the air, and the "Turbo Nozzle" that lets Mario sprint on land and water, as well as break down wooden doors. The game contains a number of independent levels which can be reached from Delfino Plaza. Gameplay is based around collecting Shine Sprites by completing various tasks in the levels and over world, very similar to Super Mario 64, but with Shine Sprites instead of Power Stars. However, unlike in Super Mario 64 where the player could usually get most Power Stars no matter which mission was chosen, this game usually lets Mario obtain only the Shine Sprite the player selects from the screen prior to the level. There are 120 Shine Sprites and 240 Blue Coins in the game. Ten blue coins can be exchanged for a Shine Sprite at the Boathouse in Delfino Plaza. There are two Shine Sprites at the Airstrip, seventeen in the plaza (including one for collecting 100 Coins and one in Corona Mountain), and 11 in each of the seven other areas (eight from main episodes, two hidden, and one for getting 100 Coins). There are 30 blue Coins in each of the seven areas, making 210, there are 19 in the plaza, one in the Airstrip, and ten in Corona Mountain, making 240 altogether. At first, each of the seven areas features one task which may be completed to acquire a Shine Sprite. The player is then returned to Delfino Plaza and a new task is unlocked in the area they just played. Each area consists of up to eight of these tasks, as well as two hidden tasks, which may be played again at will once they are completed. Once the player has collected enough Shines in total, a new level is available at Delfino Plaza, either by the acquisition of a new ability or some plot-related event, such as Shadow Mario appearing in the Plaza. Gameplay proceeds in this fashion until all of Shadow Mario's related missions are completed (the seventh mission of each level), which unlocks Corona Mountain, containing the final boss. As the total number of Shine Sprites available to obtain at any given point is greater than the number of Shine Sprites needed to unlock the next area, players may choose which tasks they want to attempt. Mario can also ride Yoshis in this game, making Super Mario Sunshine the first 3-D Mario game to incorporate this functionality, being followed by Super Mario Galaxy 2. Yoshis can be used to eat enemies, as well as certain insects and Birds that can produce Gold, Blue, or Red Coins, and even Shine Sprites in a few cases. Yoshis can also eat fruit and squirt the juice of the color of that fruit, just like F.L.U.D.D sprays water. This juice can be used to dissolve certain kinds of pulsating goop acting as obstacles, as well as to briefly transform enemies into platforms for Mario to step on. The color of the Yoshi, as well as the effect of its juice, depends on the type of fruit last eaten. However, Mario can't take Yoshi with him when he accesses a new area, meaning that Yoshi is only usable in certain areas and certain missions, and if Yoshi runs out of juice or touches deep water he will vanish, requiring Mario to find the egg and hatch it again. Characters *Mario - The main character of the game. His first appearance in the game is on the airplane to Isle Delfino *F.L.U.D.D. - A sentient robotic water pack that can squirt water and clean up goop. His first appearance in the game is in Delfino Airstrip. *Yoshi - A dinosaur that can jump high and do other sorts of tricks. He can turn enemies into platforms by squirting Juice. If he touches water, he'll disappear and want a random kind of fruit each time. Yoshi first appears in the game after Episode 4 in Pinna Park where he gets kidnapped by Shadow Mario in Delfino Plaza and Mario must defeat Shadow Mario to earn Yoshi. *Peach - Comes along with Mario on his vacation. She first appears in the game on the airplane in Isle Delfino. *Toadsworth and the Toads - Peach's steward who also takes care of the Toads during their stay at Isle Delfino. They first appear in Delfino Airstrip. *Bowser - Mario's worst enemy and the final boss of the game. He gets his son to kidnap Princess Peach. He doesn't appear until the very end of the game. *Bowser Jr. - Bowser's apparent 8th son and Mario's main unexpected enemy who disguises himself as an imitation of Mario, also known as Shadow Mario. He is not seen until Episode 1 of Pinna Park in his real form. *Piantas - A kind of people in Isle Defino who have trees on their heads to have relief of the sun's heat. *Nokis - One of the residents of Isle Delfino who wear seashells as a reminisce of their home. Levels Table of episodes Reception Super Mario Sunshine received widespread critical acclaim, currently holding an aggregate score of 91.50% on Gamerankings based on 76 reviews. [http://www.gamerankings.com/gamecube/533287-super-mario-sunshine/index.html Super Mario Sunshine for GameCube- GameRankings]. Retrieved October 21st, 2015 While praise was directed towards the wide array of moves, criticism was directed towards the camera, the gimmicky nature of F.L.U.D.D. and the Yoshis, and the game's voice acting. Super Mario Sunshine is the 3rd best selling game for the Nintendo GameCube as it sold about 6.3 million copies as of December 31, 2009, and was the 10th best selling game of 2002, according to the NPD. NPD Press Release- January 28, 2003(January 28, 2003). Retrieved October 21st, 2015 References to other games *''Mario Bros.: When F.L.U.D.D. scans Mario during his malfunction after the fight with Bowser, a black-and-white screenshot from this game is shown with the text "GAME OVER" just before his video crashes. *Super Mario Bros.'' - Before the game starts, an 8-bit coin sound effect is played while the Nintendo logo is displayed. Also, covers of the main Super Mario Bros. theme, as well as the underground stage theme, are featured in the game. There's also a stage in Sirena Beach where a giant 8-bit Mario can be seen in the background. Also, at the beginning of the game, it is possible to see three "memories" of Mario in the lower left-hand corner. The first of the three is a NES video of Mario approaching a fake Bowser on the iconic bridge (although it could just as easily have been a Disk System recording of Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels). *''Super Mario Bros. 3'' - When the player opens the Z-button guide in Delfino Plaza, the map of Delfino Plaza has the sprite of Mario's head showing his current location. *''Super Mario World'' - When F.L.U.D.D. scans Mario, the second video shows the SNES boss fight with Iggy Koopa. Also, the ability to climb on gates and punch enemies from the inside of it originated from this game, as well as riding on Yoshi, as well as the added drums in the background music when Yoshi is being ridden on. Finally, the regular boss music is a cover version of the final boss music against Bowser from Super Mario World. *''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island'' - One of the secret levels in Pinna Park has a background reminiscent of this game. *''Super Mario 64'' - The number of Shine Sprites in Super Mario Sunshine is the same number of Power Stars in Super Mario 64. Also, the way Mario enters Noki Bay is very similar to the way Mario enters the Tower of the Wing Cap in Super Mario 64. When F.L.U.D.D. scans Mario, the last video is the memorable N64 boss fight with Mario swinging Bowser by the tail. The stage is Bowser in the Dark World. Most of Mario's animations, as well as a few voice clips are reused, while others are new. The player's head can get stuck in sand similar to getting Mario's head getting stuck in the sand or the snow in this game. The music played when Mario and Peach are watching the sunset is a remake of Peach's usual theme when she is rescued. *''Yoshi's Story'' - The idea of eating fruits to keep Yoshis healthy is similar in this game. *''Luigi's Mansion'' - F.L.U.D.D. and the Magic Paintbrush are inventions of Professor E. Gadd. During the third episode of Sirena Beach, one of the employees in the hotel claims that the ghosts are annoying and wishes that "Someone would come and suck them away with a vacuum or something" and then asks Mario "Why are you looking at me like that?". When Mario tries to open locked doors in Hotel Delfino, he makes a similar grunt to the noise that Luigi makes in the same situation in this game. References in later games *''Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour'' - Many of the enemies' names from this game appear on the scoreboards in Tournament mode, such as Phantamanta, Poink, Cataquack, and Plungelo. The Blooper Bay course also bears a minor resemblance to Gelato Beach. Lastly, this game marks the first time Petey Piranha, Bowser Jr, and Shadow Mario appear as playable characters. *''Mario Kart: Double Dash!!'' - Shine Sprites were included in this game in the Shine Thief battle mode. The stage Peach Beach resembles Delfino Plaza and contains Cataquacks, and Piantas and Nokis also appeared. Bowser Jr. is a default playable character, and Petey Piranha is also an unlockable pair of characters. Part of the Delfino Plaza theme can be heard during the award ceremony music. *''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga'' - The fourth difficulty of the Border Jump minigame is titled "Super Border Jump Sunshine." *''Mario Golf: Advance Tour'' - Same as Toadstool Tour, except for course and playable characters. The item Shine Sprites were included in this game. Also, some of Mushroom Tourney bears a minor resemblance to Bianco Hills. *''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door'' - Shine Sprites and Piantas made an appearance in this game, but they had an entirely different purpose. Also, Doopliss's parrot will say the phrase, "Shine Get!", which is the phrase that appears after Mario gets a Shine Sprite in the Japanese version of Super Mario Sunshine. *''Mario Power Tennis'' - The court Delfino Plaza comes from this game and the Gooper Blooper Court takes place in Ricco Harbor. Also Mecha-Bowser, Bowser Jr. and Petey Piranha reappear in this game. *''Super Mario 64 DS'' - A new beach stage called the Sunshine Isles plays a version of the Delfino Plaza music in the background. The acapella cover of the Super Mario Bros. theme from the secret levels appears in this game can also be heard in two of Mario's mini games. A version of the Hotel Delfino casino theme plays during Luigi's casino minigames, only with the whistling and saxophones removed. *''Mario Superstar Baseball'' - One of Mario's team names is the Mario Sunshines, referencing this game. *''Mario Kart DS'' - A new stage was named Delfino Square in reference to Delfino Plaza. Also, there is a battle mode, Shine Runners, where the player has to collect the most Shine Sprites in the time given. *''Super Princess Peach'' - Petey Piranha, Gooper Blooper, and Wiggler must be defeated in similar ways to their battles in this game. *''Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time: The Shine Sprites make an appearance in this game. The Mario Bros. have to hit them to get some light for a limited time in dark areas where the Baby Bros. go. Also, Petey Piranha appears as a boss in the game. *New Super Mario Bros.'' - The minigame Trampoline Time has the same music as the secret levels in Super Mario Sunshine and Bowser Jr. is the second antagonist again. *''Super Paper Mario'' - A Sammer Guy exists who calls himself "Sunshine Flood". *''Super Mario Galaxy'' - Fire Pressures and Water Shooters, which appear in various galaxies, appear very similar to F.L.U.D.D.'s nozzle. Also, Cataquacks make a few appearances as helpful enemies to get Power Stars. A toy robot-like Bowser is called Mecha-Bowser as a reference to the Pinna Park boss. *''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' - Mario could use F.L.U.D.D. in this game to spray his opponents. Also, Delfino Plaza appears as a selectable stage. The themes for Delfino Plaza and Ricco Harbor appear as selectable music for the aforementioned stage. Petey Piranha is the first boss in the Adventure Mode. Several stickers and trophies are of characters who debuted in this game. *''Mario Kart Wii'' - The race course Coconut Mall as well as the battle course Delfino Pier, which are references to Super Mario Sunshine, appear in this game. Piantas and Nokis can also be seen watching the racers. *''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story'' - A Shine Sprite appears in this game as one of the ranks for Mario and Luigi. *''Super Mario Galaxy 2'' - The Starshine Beach Galaxy is based on the motifs of Sunshine, such as the Grand Pianta Statue, and makes several references to the game. Piantas return as non-playable characters in said galaxy. In addition, the Twisty Trials Galaxy is based almost-exactly on the Secret of Ricco Tower level. *''Super Mario 3D Land'' - Tightropes are featured as a game mechanic similar to this game's ropes. The cutscene with Bowser and Mario before the final boss fight mimics the cutscene before the first Petey Piranha fight, with the floor cracking, Mario and Bowser looking around, and falling into the battle area after the floor collapses. *''Mario Kart 7'' - As Piantas are removed entirely on any Mario Kart: Double Dash!! retro track in Mario Kart 7, the only reference that exists of Super Mario Sunshine is a single advertisement board at the side of Dino Dino Jungle, displaying the words "Sunshine Parts" with a Shine Sprite as the background. This is because Dino Dino Jungle appears as a retro track from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! in the game. Wii Coconut Mall also reappears but with the physical Piantas removed as well, leaving only the ones in the logos to appear. *''Paper Mario: Sticker Star'' - One of the questions in "Snifit or Whiffit" is "Bowser is Bowser Jr.'s Dad, and Princess Peach is his mother", which might be a reference to this game. Also, Gooper Blooper appears as the World 3 boss. Lastly, Petey Piranha's belly button is once again his weakness. *''Mario Kart 8'' - Sunshine Airport has a Shine Sprite for its logo, and it takes place on a tropical island. The European release date for this game (Oct 4th, 2002) is used as a serial number on some storage crates (55402MS). **''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'' - Shine Sprites appear again in the Shine Thief battle mode. *''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U: Delfino Plaza reappears as a Past Stage in the Wii U version of this game as well as the two themes used in the stage: Delfino Plaza and Ricco Harbor. Shadow Mario and the Magic Paintbrush appear as part of Bowser Jr. and the Koopaling's Final Smash Shadow Mario Paint. *Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam'' - Petey Piranha can spit goop at the Mario Bros. like in this game. *''Paper Mario: Color Splash'' - There is a character called Petea Piranha that looks and attacks exactly like Petey Piranha. *''Super Mario Odyssey'' - The Gushen enemies function very similarly to F.L.U.D.D.'s Hover and Turbo Nozzles. In an update, an outfit based on the outfit Mario obtains from the sunglasses vendor can be worn. *''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey'' - If set to a ranged type, Bowser Jr. uses his Magic Paintbrush as his weapon. *''Super Mario Maker 2'' - The "Delfino Plaza" theme is featured in this game as a sound effect under the "Musical" category, represented by the GameCube logo. Trivia *This is the only game in the Mario platforming series to be released on the Gamecube console, though was welcomed to critical (92% average on GameRankings) and commercial (5.5 million copies sold) acclaim (despite its predecessor and successor performing better on both fronts). *The year after the game was released, it was introduced to the Player's Choice line of products, making it a mere $20 (USD). *Despite being developed in Japan, the Japanese version of the game uses the English voice with Japanese subtitles. *During the short movie where F.L.U.D.D. examines Mario, he will see a screen on the bottom left showing screens from Super Mario Bros., Super Mario World, and Super Mario 64. This actually confirms that this game takes place after those three games. *In the Pinna Park's first secret world, the background will have a Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island theme. *In a few of the backgrounds of secret worlds, you'll see an old school Mario sprite from Super Mario Bros. *Episode 4's secret stage in Ricco Harbor also appears in Super Mario Galaxy 2. *Even though the cutscenes in Super Mario Sunshine make Delfino Island look like a Dolphin, in-game, it doesn't. *This is the fourth Mario game where Luigi doesn't appear in the game at all, nor is he mentioned. The first being Super Mario Land, the second being Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, the third being Super Mario 64, and the fifth being Super Mario Odyssey. *This is also the first time where Princess Peach wears her hair in a ponytail. This would later be used in the later Mario Kart and Mario Sports games, starting with Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour and Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. *This is the only Mario game where Mario wears a T-shirt as opposed to his long-sleeved shirt. *Sometimes, when losing a life, Mario will say "Arrivederci" which is Italian for "Goodbye". In the German translation, the words "Too bad" will display as "Arrivederci". *According to the Encyclopedia Super Mario Bros., all the enemies and even the Yoshis of the game are derived from the scribbling of Bowser Jr., hence their weakness to water, as well as the slightly different appearance of enemies. *The shine on the boxart of the American, Japanese and British versions of this game roughly says, "Mario has more moves than ever, you'll have to master them all to sprinkleAmerican / sprayBritish water in the sunshine." All the other European boxarts have this sentence as well, but translated. *Mario's voice actor, Charles Martinet, considers this to be an "underrated game".CooperMcHatton (Jul 22, 2012) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBfiDE2Xrpg Charles Martinet on Super Mario Sunshine at SDCC 2012.] YouTube. Retrieved August 2, 2018. *This is the only 3D Mario game where Mario does not say "Thank you so much for playing my game!" at the end of the credits. *This is the only game in the overall main Super Mario series that has never been available for digital download. References External links *Japanese site *Nintendo UK site Category:Major Nintendo games Category:Mario games Category:Nintendo GameCube games Category:2002 video games Category:Nintendo games Category:Platformer games Category:Action-adventure games Category:Nintendo EAD games Category:Games published by Nintendo Category:Games developed by Nintendo Category:Player's Choice games